AN ELEPHANT HUNT 



273 



struck me to climb a rock some 30 feet liigk, and have a good 

 look round. It was no use hoping to do more as the sun was 

 just about to disappear below the horizon. I had hardly got 

 to the top of the rock, when I spied the four elephants just 

 where they had been before. They had evidently got scent of 

 us, for they were huddled closely together. There was not a 

 moment to lose if I was to get a shot before it was dark. The 

 white tusks stood out clearly against the grey and green back- 

 ground, so that it was easy to pick out the biggest elephant. I 

 quickly made sure of the direction of the wind ; it was in our 

 favour, and we sped quickly down our rock in the direction of 

 our game. We were soon close to them, but not an inch of 

 their bodies could Ave see for the bushes, and my heavy boots 

 made such a noise on the gneiss and debris that I had half a 

 mind to take them off. But there were too many thorns for 

 that, and stealthily, as if our very lives depended on our 

 caution, we crept on till we came to an acacia, and were at last 

 face to face with the elephants, though I could only make out 

 the big male clearly. There he stood some twenty-three paces 

 off, innocent of his danger, carelessly stretching out his long- 

 trunk for another branch. Full of the greatest impatience, I 

 waited for the right moment to fire. I had no experience 

 whatever in shooting elephants, and was anxious to aim at the 

 heart if I could only make sure just where it was. There was 

 some little delay, for which I was not exactly sorry, for never 

 have I been so excited, before the elephant was in the right 

 position, and as it was impossible to fire through the thorny 

 upper foliage of the acacia behind which I stood, I threw 

 myself flat on my face so as to be able to aim under the lowest 

 branches. The great creature at last turned towards me, 

 raising his trunk to secure some specially juicy morsel and 

 -exposing his side completely. It was so dark now that I could 

 hardly see, but I raised the heavy gun and fired, aiming at 

 VOL. I. T 



